Smartphones
Report: Google Offers $1.1 Billion to Acquire Mapping Service Waze
June 10, 2013 10:18 am | News | CommentsGoogle is offering $1.1 billion to acquire the crowd-sourced maps company Waze, according to a Bloomberg report. The news comes after earlier reports that Apple had been interested in Waze. Waze's mobile app for iOS and Android gathers map information from its 40 million users...
Music Service, Mobile Software Expected from Apple
June 10, 2013 9:34 am | by Anick Jesdanun, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsApple is expected to reveal a digital radio service and changes to the software behind iPhones and iPads on Monday as the company opens its annual conference for software developers. Apple hasn't said what it will unveil at the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco...
New BlackBerry with Keyboard to Hit US Stores
June 5, 2013 8:55 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsThe first keyboard-equipped BlackBerry sporting the company's radically new operating system is hitting U.S. stores this week. T-Mobile USA will start selling the BlackBerry Q10 on Wednesday. Verizon Wireless started taking pre-orders last week and says it will ship by Thursday...
Report: Apple Readies Mobile Ad Business for New Music Service
June 4, 2013 9:34 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsApple is gearing up for the unveiling of a new streaming music service next week by shifting some of its iAd personnel over to the new service. The move is part of an effort to change the way Apple sells mobile advertising to cater to customers that might be looking to engage an listening audience, according to a report...
Verizon Smartphone Sales Grow on Windows Popularity
June 3, 2013 10:23 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsVerizon took the lion's share of smarpthone sales in the United States, due in part to the growth of Windows Phone, according to new numbers from Kantar Worldpanel Comtech. Of the carriers, Verizon grabbed 36.3 percent of smartphones sold, an annual increase of 1.8 percent. Sprint Nextel accounted for 13.1 percent of smartphones sold...
Google to Sell HTC One with Unmodified Android
May 31, 2013 9:35 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsGoogle is adding the recently released HTC One to its lineup of smartphones running on an unmodified version of its latest Android software. An HTC One model relying on the same version of Android as Google's Nexus brand will go on sale on June 26 for $599...
Report: Apple Taps Pegatron to Make Low-Cost iPhone
May 30, 2013 9:34 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsApple is moving to a new manufacturer to produce a low-cost iPhone, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. As it seeks to lessen its dependence on Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn in an effort to diversify its supply chain, Apple has reportedly tasked a company called Pegatron with producing a forthcoming version of the iPhone...
Cook: Apple Focused on Quality, Not Quantity
May 29, 2013 10:23 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsTim Cook, Apple's CEO, doesn't have his head stuck in the sand. He's aware of the company's stock slide. He's aware of Android's popularity, but he's not particularly worried about anything more than creating great products. That was the word yesterday from Cook's talk at the Wall Street Journal's D: All Things Digital conference, which was posted online...
Report: Hon Hai to Produce Firefox OS Phone
May 28, 2013 10:01 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsTaiwanese OEM Hon Hai is partnering with Mozilla on a new mobile device, according to a Reuter's report released this morning. The new device will run Mozilla's Firefox operating system, and is an attempt by Hon Hai to diversify away from its current dependence on Apple products. The report, which cites a Taipei-based...
Lenovo Says Quarterly Profit up 90 Percent
May 23, 2013 10:20 am | by Joe McDonald, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsComputer maker Lenovo Group said Thursday its latest quarterly profit rose 90 percent as sales of smartphones and mobile computing technology expanded.Lenovo said it earned $127 million, or 1.22 cents per share, in the three months ending March 31. Revenue rose 4 percent over a year earlier to $7.8 billion...
Galaxy S4 to Top 10M in Sales by Next Week
May 17, 2013 10:19 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsSamsung says it expects sales of its flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4, to surpass 10 million units by next week. The company began selling the S4 in Korea on April 26 and has since begun selling the device in 60 other countries. According to a report in the Korean Times...
Google's Products Dig Deeper into People's Lives
May 17, 2013 9:11 am | by Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsFor Google CEO Larry Page, happiness is a warm computer. "Technology should do the hard work so people can get on doing the things that make them happiest in life," Page told a crowd of 6,000 software developers and entrepreneurs who flocked to San Francisco Wednesday for...
Windows Phone Ousts BB for Third Place in Market Share
May 16, 2013 8:42 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsWindows Phone posted the largest year-over-year gain in market share among the leading mobile operating systems, more than doubling its size from a year ago, according to numbers released today from International Data Corporation (IDC)...
Samsung Generates More Profit from Android than Google Does
May 16, 2013 8:13 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsSamsung may be generating more revenue and profit from the Android platform than Google does, according to a new report from Strategy Analytics. According to the report, Samsung took 95 percent of $5 billion in first quarter profits generated from overall global Android shipments...
Sharp Reshuffles Management After Record Loss
May 14, 2013 10:02 am | by Elaine Kurtenbach, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsJapanese electronics maker Sharp Corp. named a new president Tuesday, reshuffling its top management to help restore profitability after reporting a record loss. The Osaka, Japan-based maker of Aquos TVs said that Kozo Takahashi, currently an executive vice president...
BlackBerry Focuses on Cool Factor as It Returns to Orlando for Annual Event
May 13, 2013 9:00 am | by David Friend, The Canadian Press | News | CommentsBlackBerry will pull out all the stops this week as the company welcomes thousands of industry players for BlackBerry Live, it's annual three-day conference which promises to offer some perspective into its future. Chief executive Thorsten Heins will take the stage on Tuesday and...
Report: Amazon Preparing 3D Smartphone, Other Hardware
May 10, 2013 9:06 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsAs one of the major players in the tablet market, Amazon is again generating rumors that it's ready to take the next step and offer its customers a branded smartphone. Amazon is reportedly developing a range of new hardware, including a glasses-free...
New Boingo iOS App Leverages iTunes Account for Payment
May 8, 2013 9:50 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsWi-Fi provider Boingo Wireless has announced that iOS users can now use their iTunes account to purchase a Boingo subscription. According to a press release, the latest version of Boingo’s iOS app links directly to a customer’s iTunes account, streamlining subscription sign-up and monthly billing...
Nokia Remains Focused on Windows Phone
May 7, 2013 9:59 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsNokia will continue to focus on Windows Phone, according to a report from Reuters today, which cited comments from Nokia CEO Stephen Elop prior to the company's annual general meeting. Elop said that while the company continues to make adjustments as it goes...
Microsoft Touching Up Windows 8 to Address Gripes
May 7, 2013 8:42 am | by Michael Liedtke, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsMicrosoft is retooling the latest version of its Windows operating system to address complaints and confusion that have been blamed for deepening a slump in personal computer sales. The tune up announced Tuesday won't be released to consumers...
US Cellular Embraces iPhone After Rejecting It
May 3, 2013 3:26 pm | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsU.S. Cellular, the fifth largest cellphone company and the only major one to resist the iPhone, says it's going to start selling it this year. CEO Mary Dillon announced the reversal Friday on a call with investors and analysts. She didn't specify exactly when the company would start...
Physical by Smartphone Becoming Real Possibility
May 2, 2013 8:34 am | by Lauran Neergaard, AP Medical Writer | News | CommentsIt's not a "Star Trek" tricorder, but by hooking a variety of gadgets onto a smartphone you could almost get a complete physical — without the paper gown or even a visit to the doctor's office. Blood pressure? Just plug the arm cuff into the phone for a quick reading...
How Siri, Google Now Respond to 5 Questions
April 30, 2013 9:29 am | by Associated Press | News | CommentsWith Google's voice assistant now available on iPhones and iPads, The Associated Press used an iPad Mini to throw five test questions at Google Now and Siri on Monday afternoon in New York. Here's what the two digital assistants had to say for themselves...
Smartphones Overtake 'Dumb' Phones Worldwide
April 29, 2013 9:32 am | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsResearch firm IDC said more smartphones than "dumb" phones are being made this year, a milestone in a shift that's putting computing power and Internet access in millions of hands worldwide. Manufacturers shipped 216 million smartphones worldwide in the first three months of this year...
Sprint, T-Mo Delay S4 Launch on Inventory Problems
April 24, 2013 10:47 am | by Andrew Berg | News | CommentsSprint and T-Mobile, which had previously announced their customers would get first dibs on the Samsung Galaxy S4, have now said the device will be delayed. In a statement, Sprint said that while it had planned to launch the phone on Saturday, April 27, Sprint was dealing with...
